Wikimania 2017 in Montréal will be the 13th in the series of annual international conferences which provide a unique opportunity for the Wikimedia community and our projects to come together, share their common goals, and develop better ways to work together on an international level.

Wikimania will consist of a preconference from August 9-10, which will include a technical hackathon and other workshop and community events. The main conference will be held on August 11-13 and will consist of several concurrent tracks, including workshops, presentations, roundtables, invited speakers and an unconference. This is a call for submissions for the main conference; hackathon and other events will be arranged separately.

If you would like to propose a speaker for the Keynote and Invited tracks (including yourself), you may do so by contacting the team or the Programme Committee. We will give particular consideration to allies and leaders of the Free Knowledge movement who can provide a new, fresh perspective on our projects or their communities.

Contents

Themes

Wikimania presentations are about topics related to the work of Wikimedians and the Wikimedia projects. Submissions may be about any area of Wikimedia work, including technology and infrastructure, outreach and education, legal and social aspects, project community and community development, and project content. Submissions can be about ongoing or new projects and initiatives, related projects outside Wikimedia, and research related to the Wikimedia projects. Presentations, workshops and discussions can be aimed at any audience, including experienced Wikimedia contributors, new or beginning Wikimedia contributors, or current Wikimedia contributors who want to learn new skills or start work in a new area.

We especially welcome new Wikimania presenters, presentations about issues of current concern to the Wikimedia community, reports from Wikimedia's "sister projects" and discussions of the current work and future of these projects, and roundtable/birds of a feather discussions meant to discuss and solve current issues relating to the Wikimedia projects and community.

This will be a bilingual conference, and presentations in both French and English are welcomed. To aid in reviewing, if possible including an English abstract (for French submissions) or a French abstract (for English submissions) is welcome, but not required.

All presentations and discussions are encouraged to be as interactive as possible and facilitate learning and sharing by the attendees.

Submission types

There will be several formats, including lectures, panel presentations, roundtable discussions, and workshops focused on skill development. There will also be sessions of lightning talks, posters and birds of a feather sessions. We are also open to new and original program format ideas, including combinations of types, art installations, photohunts, and so on; please contact the program committee with any questions.

Lectures: where one or two presenters offer a presentation in front of an audience. Lectures are generally intended to be 25 minutes long, but a limited number of 55-minute slots may be made available. A projection screen will be provided for the display of slides or video material; please specify if you have additional needs.

Panels: 3-6 presenters share a 55 minute presentation slot to discuss a topic. A projection screen will be provided for the display of slides or video material; please specify if you have additional needs.

Roundtables: a forum to discuss an issue in participation with the audience, in which presenters are expected to lead and moderate the discussion over a 55 minute session. Spaces for roundtables are more intimate, with a layout to favor discussion, and are only provided with projectors if requested.

Workshops and tutorials: these are presentations with a focus on practical work directed either to acquiring a specific skill or doing a specific task. Sessions are 55 minutes led by the presenters in a classroom space suitable for laptops and work.

Lightning talks: these are brief (5-minute) presentations, shown together during one of the three themed sessions in the primary theatre during the conference. One session will be dedicated to each of: technical topics, community topics, or project-related topics. Submissions should include the name and affiliation of the presenter, and the topic of the presentation.

Posters: During the conference, accepted on-topic posters (A2 or A1 format) will be displayed prominently in the lounge and foyer areas. Use this opportunity to give news, set out an idea, propose a concept, or explain a problem. The submitter will be expected to be available at their poster for at least one of two hour-long periods to greet attendees and answer questions, and the poster itself must be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons with a suitable licence. Submissions should include the name and affiliation of the presenter and a brief abstract of the poster topic.

Birds of a feather sessions: Meeting areas will be made available for BoF sessions during the conference. Attendees who submit a topic of discussion are expected to attend and moderate the session, and to report on the discussion after it has concluded. BoF meetings are expected to be 50 minutes long, although a limited number of 80-minute slots may be made available. This will be a chance for people interested in a similar topic to have a less formal gathering or discussion session. Proposals for Birds of a Feather session will be accepted until May 29, 2017; any remaining slots will be made available for discussions organized at the conference.

Original program format ideas: such as installations, and so on;

Proposals for presentations, (lectures, workshops, roundtables and tutorials) will be accepted until April 10, 2017 May 1, 2017.

Proposals for Lightning talks, posters and birds of a feather will be accepted until May 15, 2017 June 10, 2017.

How to submit

All submissions should include:

The name and affiliation of the presenter or moderator

The title of the presentation or poster

An abstract describing the topic of the presentation and what attendees can expect to take away from the session.

A description of what attendees can expect to take away from the session.

In addition:

For presentations, panels and discussions, please state the expected or intended audience of the session (new contributors, experienced contributors, or all).

Roundtable and birds of a feather discussion should indicate what the outcome of the discussion is hoped to be.

Panel presentations should include the name of the presenters, if confirmed, and a brief synopsis of what each presenter will contribute.

Workshop submissions should include the level of the workshop (beginning, intermediate, experienced), what attendees should do to prepare for the workshop, and a description of the workshop presenter's experience.

Acceptance and important dates

If your paper is accepted and you need an invitation letter to apply for a visa to attend the conference, please contact us as soon as possible. (Visa applications can take at least 60 working days to process.) Please identify yourself as a presenter and include your mailing address in your email. Presenters for lightning talks, posters, and birds of a feather sessions will be notified of acceptance by mid-June. By submitting a paper, you agree that at least one of the authors will attend the conference to present it. If the conference registration fee will pose a hardship for the presenter of the accepted paper, please contact. A limited number of stipends will be available for accepted speakers who need assistance with travel and accommodation. Complete program and registration information will be available in May 2017 on the conference website.

Deadline for submitting lightning talks, poster, and birds of a feather submissions: June 10, 2017 (extended)

Notification of acceptance for presentations: May 1, 2017: we are behind in this due to the volume of submissions received.

Notification of acceptance for lightning talks, poster and birds of a feather submissions: June 24, 2017 (extended)

Your proposal will be discussed and rated in public by the program committee, and you will be notified through the contact information you supply of the committee's decision. There is limited room in the schedule available for presentations, panels and workshops, and Wikimania submission is competitive. If your submission is not accepted, please do not be discouraged: Wikimania 2017 will have time set aside in the schedule for participants and attendees to participate in unofficial, self-organized talks and working groups. You will have many opportunities to bring topics forward on-site, as well as socializing and sharing ideas casually. Presenters that are not accepted are also welcome to submit lightning talks and posters, which will be considered as space permits. If there are multiple similar submissions on the same topic, the program committee may suggest combining these submissions.